Tidal stutters on phone trying to play highest quality

[gasolin]

Not about cables, about the fiio dac, because im gonna use no matter what, the cable attatched to my in ear headphones

 

[Al ears]

Not about cables, about the fiio dac, because im gonna use no matter what, the cable attatched to my in ear headphones

I assume then that you can switch your phones output from analogue to digital?

 

[gasolin]

I assume then that you can switch your phones output from analogue to digital?

Why would any need that option ?

Why would i do that, what's the point in doing that ?

I assume usb is digital

when i put a cable from a charger or my pc in to my phone, my phone gets charges, do i use my usb headphones it can send sound to my heaphones

Have no need to think about if my phone can do analog or digital out from the usb c it has

 

[Angle Poise-Lamp]

Why would any need that option ?

Because you might be driving IEMs directly with the phone, so will need an amplified analogue output or, sending a digital output to a DAC. Maybe that wouldn't apply to you but, it will to many people.

 

[gasolin]

analog out when usb is digital ?

 

[DCarmi]

Not about cables, about the fiio dac, because im gonna use no matter what, the cable attatched to my in ear headphones

Yup! That is what I do except Ifi DAC to Wired headphones. I can choose which of my headphones/earbuds I use, using the standard 3.5mm jack. I did try some USB headphones and wasn't that impressed but yours may have a better DAC built in.

In fairness, I wouldn't generally listen to lossless when out and about. Much of the music I listen to is already downloaded to my phone, about 50GB and a load more on my tablet. I haven't and probably won't upgrade the files to lossless because when on Wifi I stream and file size is about several times greater.

(Also the Spotify app, which is what I use , is not bit perfect so it gets pushed through the Android mixer anyway. 🙁)

 

[Vincent Kars]

analog out when usb is digital ?

Yes!
This is not about USB but about USB-C.
Android started with accessoire mode. This mode allows for sending analog audio over some of the 24 pins of this connector. All you need is a passive USB-C to female TRS.
Most of the mobiles use OTG. In this case, UAC2 (USB audio Class2) is send over the USB-C. This requires a DAC. The miniature USB dongles simply have a DAC inside the connector.

To the best of my (limited) Android knowledge, as a user you can't choose which mode to use.

 

[Angle Poise-Lamp]

This quote from Soundguys:

"Can you get analog audio over USB?
USB Type-C audio connections don’t actually have to be digital: you can actually get analog audio out, too. The USB standard also supports “Audio Accessory Mode”, whereby the D+/D- pins switch roles to support analog audio signals — again, this isn’t new to USB Type-C. Many phones with and without the new connector are designed to handle the negative voltage swing of the analog audio signal. Accessory Mode is popular with older USB audio dock devices, and the Android Open Accessory Protocol 2.0 with audio support has been around since Android 4.1."

How USB-C headphones work

USB Type-C headphones and dongles are increasingly common, but do you know the difference between active and passive products?

www.soundguys.com

​

 

[Al ears]

Why would any need that option ?

Why would i do that, what's the point in doing that ?

I assume usb is digital

when i put a cable from a charger or my pc in to my phone, my phone gets charges, do i use my usb headphones it can send sound to my heaphones

Have no need to think about if my phone can do analog or digital out from the usb c it has

Just thinking if it doesn't you will be outputting an analogue signal into a dac, if it has already been through the dac in the phone.
If you plug wired headphones into your phone surely it assumes you want an analogue output?

 

[DCarmi]

If you plug wired headphones into your phone surely it assumes you want an analogue output?

USB headphones have a little DAC inside. You can get tiny cable DACs with a 3.5mm connector for a few quid but they aren't that great. I do have one somewhere.

Very few phones support a 3.5mm jack, nowadays. Sony is one company that has kept it.

I believe Tidal is bit perfect on Android (not iPhone) so a decent DAC and headphone combo should give good results.

 

[DCarmi]

New phone when trying to play highest quality from til 24 bit and 96khz or higher it stutter and is unplayable

This seems to be a known issue amongst Tidal users. Try turning off Wifi, when using 5G and see if that makes a difference.

 

[abacus]

I presume you have followed the standard fault finding list on Tidal Support if this doesn't work send a report to Tidal.

Bill

 

[Al ears]

USB headphones have a little DAC inside. You can get tiny cable DACs with a 3.5mm connector for a few quid but they aren't that great. I do have one somewhere.

Very few phones support a 3.5mm jack, nowadays. Sony is one company that has kept it.

I believe Tidal is bit perfect on Android (not iPhone) so a decent DAC and headphone combo should give good results.

I see, so these phones only output a digital signal through a USB-C port? And the dac in the phone only comes into play if using Bluetooth?
If this is the case why all the 3.5mm to USB-C adapters??
If all USB headphones have a dac inside how is that powered? Is it from the phones USB socket?
only asking because if I upgrade my current phone I am going to have to be very careful what I get without consigning all my current headphones to the bin....

 

[DCarmi]

I see, so these phones only output a digital signal through a USB-C port?

Correct! By removing the 3.5mm jack (and the SD card slot) they save space in the body for other gizmos. So now you need an external DAC or headphones with an in-built DAC.

The next thing to go will be the sim card. Apple have already started down this road by going e-sim only a recent device.

 

[jjbomber]

Correct! By removing the 3.5mm jack (and the SD card slot) they save space in the body for other gizmos. So now you need an external DAC or headphones with an in-built DAC.

The next thing to go will be the sim card. Apple have already started down this road by going e-sim only a recent device.

E-Sim has been around commercially for 5 years at least. Qatar World Cup in 2022 was giving away free e-SIMs with free calls and data. Getting rid of the e-SIM allows more room for the battery.

 

[Al ears]

Correct! By removing the 3.5mm jack (and the SD card slot) they save space in the body for other gizmos. So now you need an external DAC or headphones with an in-built DAC.

The next thing to go will be the sim card. Apple have already started down this road by going e-sim only a recent device.

Then what do the 3.5mm to USB-C adapters do?
Do they not allow you to attach older wired headphones to your phone?
And yes, I do know I am showing my age....

 

[DCarmi]

Then what do the 3.5mm to USB-C adapters do?

If you look at (NOT a recommendation!!) from Amazon, you will see for the princely sum of £3.99 you get 2 usb-c to 3.5mm adapters.

Quoting a bit of the blurb...

• Hi-Fi Sound Performance: The USB C headphones adaptor to 3.5mm jack is equipped with an integrated DAC chip, supporting audio up to 96kHz / 24bit. It seamlessly converts digital audio signals into analog form without compression, capturing every nuance and detail. Experience the pristine sound quality of your music, free from noise.

How good a DAC chip which costs pennies is, I leave up to find out.
I have something similar bought several years ago, as an experiment. I'd describe it as "seviceable". My Ifi is definitely a step up.

 

[Vincent Kars]

And the dac in the phone only comes into play if using Bluetooth?

No.
Bluetooth (and USB audio) are digital. A Bluetooth headphone contains a Bluetooth receiver, a DAC and an amp. It is battery powered.
The only thing driven by the DAC of the phone are the speakers and the analog headphone out.